Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program (Cal Grant Program), establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements and maximum levels for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions, as defined. Existing law, for the purposes of the Cal Grant Program, defines full time to mean 12 or more semester units or the equivalent and defines part time to mean 6 to 11 semester units or the equivalent.

This bill would require the commission, upon the initial awarding and the renewal of a Cal Grant award, as specified, to notify a Cal Grant award recipient in writing that, in order to graduate in 4 years, he or she must take 15 semester units or the equivalent quarter units, or 30 semester units per academic year or the equivalent quarter units, and that a Cal Grant award is limited to 4 academic years. The bill also would require a qualifying institution, as defined, to notify in writing a new student during orientation, a student receiving state financial aid, upon annual registration, and a student registering online for fewer than 15 units of the above specified provisions.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program (Cal Grant Program), establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements and maximum levels for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions, as defined. Existing law, for the purposes of the Cal Grant Program, defines full time to mean 12 or more semester units or the equivalent and defines part time to mean 6 to 11 semester units or the equivalent.

This bill would require the commission, upon the initial awarding and the renewal of a Cal Grant award, as specified, to notify a Cal Grant award recipient in writing that, in order to graduate in 4 years, he or she must take 15 semester units or the equivalent quarter units, or 30 semester units per academic year or the equivalent quarter units, and that a Cal Grant award is limited to 4 academic years. The bill also would require a qualifying institution, as defined, to notify in writing a new student during orientation, a student receiving state financial aid, upon annual registration, and a student registering online for fewer than 15 units of the above specified provisions.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program (Cal Grant Program), establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements and maximum levels for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions, as defined. Existing law, for the purposes of the Cal Grant Program, defines full time to mean 12 or more semester units or the equivalent and defines part time to mean 6 to 11 semester units or the equivalent.

This bill would require the commission, upon the initial awarding and the renewal of a Cal Grant award, as specified, to notify a Cal Grant award recipient in writing that, in order to graduate in 4 years, he or she must take 15 semester units or the equivalent quarter units, or 30 semester units per academic year or the equivalent quarter units, and that a Cal Grant award is limited to 4 academic years. The bill also would require a qualifying institution, as defined, to notify in writing, writing a new student during orientation, a student receiving state financial aid, upon annual registration, and a student registering online for less fewer than 15 units, units of the above specified provisions.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program (Cal Grant Program), establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements and maximum levels for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions, as defined. Existing law, for the purposes of the Cal Grant Program, defines full time to mean 12 or more semester units or the equivalent and defines part time to mean 6 to 11 semester units or the equivalent.

This bill would require the commission, upon the initial awarding and the renewal of a Cal Grant award, as specified, to notify a Cal Grant award recipient in writing that, in order to graduate in 4 years, he or she must take 15 semester units or the equivalent quarter units, or 30 semester units per academic year or the equivalent quarter units, and that a Cal Grant award is limited to 4 years. The bill also would require a qualifying institution, as defined, to notify in writing, a new student during orientation, and a student receiving state financial aid, upon annual registration, and a student registering online for less than 15 units, of the above specified provisions.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that provisions. reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program (Cal Grant Program), establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements and maximum levels for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions, as defined. Existing law, for the purposes of the Cal Grant Program, defines full time to mean 12 or more semester units or the equivalent and defines part time to mean 6 to 11 semester units or the equivalent.

This bill would require the commission, upon the initial awarding and the renewal of a Cal Grant award, to notify in writing a Cal Grant award recipient that, if in writing that, in order to graduate in 4 years, he or she takes less than must take 15 semester units or the equivalent per semester or the equivalent quarter units, or less than 30 semester units per academic year or the equivalent per academic year, he or she will not graduate in 4 years, except as specified. quarter units, and that a Cal Grant award is limited to 4 years. The bill also would require a qualifying institution, as defined, to notify in writing a student during notify in writing, a new student orientation and during orientation, and a student receiving financial aid, upon annual registration that, if he or she takes less than 15 semester units or the equivalent per semester or the equivalent, or less than 30 semester units or the equivalent per academic year, he or she will not graduate in 4 years, except as specified. registration, of the above specified provisions.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. provisions.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions.

Existing law defines full time for purposes of determining Cal Grant eligibility to mean 12 or more semester units or the equivalent. equivalent, and part time to mean 6 to 12 semester units or the equivalent.

The bill would instead, commencing with the start of the 202223 201920 academic year, define full time for purposes of determining Cal Grant eligibility to mean 15 or more semester units, or 30 or more units in an academic year, or the equivalent. to mean 30 or more semester units or the equivalent, in an academic year for new awards and all subsequent renewals of that eligibility, and for all awards starting with the 202223 academic year. This bill would define part time to mean between 6 and below 30 semester units or the equivalent, for the academic year, in the above-described range of academic years, when at least 6 semester units, or the equivalent, are taken per semester. The definition of full time and part time for the enrollment status at a California community college would remain unchanged for the purposes of Cal Grant eligibility.

The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions.

Existing law defines full time for purposes of determining Cal Grant eligibility to mean 12 or more semester units or the equivalent.

The bill would instead, commencing with the start of the 202223 academic year, define full time for purposes of determining Cal Grant eligibility to mean 15 or more semester units, or 30 or more units in an academic year, or the equivalent.

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 2248

Author:(McCarty and Arambula)

As Amended Ver:July 5, 2018

Majority vote

Original Committee Reference: HIGHER ED.

SUMMARY: Requires that a Cal Grant recipient be notified of the duration of their award and of the number of units needed to graduate within the same number of years.

The Senate amendments:

1. Define "Cal Grant", as specified, to mean all Cal Grant awards except the Cal Grant C award.
2. Specify that the Student Aid Commission (CSAC), when providing students notification of their awards in writing, may include electronic mail.
3. Require specified information be provided to a student with a box for the student to check acknowledging receipt of the provided information.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the CSAC for the purpose of administering specified student financial aid programs (Education Code (EC) Section 69510, et seq.).
2. Establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Programs, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Program, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Programs, the Cal Grant C Program, and the Cal Grant T Program, each with specified eligibility requirements related to the applicant's age, academic achievement, family income, maximum award amount limits, length of award eligibility, and other factors (EC Section 69430, et seq.).
3. Defines "full-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a full Cal Grant award, as taking 12 or more semester units or the equivalent (EC Section 69432.7(f)(2)).
4. Defines "part-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a partial Cal Grant award, as taking six to 11 semester units, inclusive, or the equivalent (EC Section 69432.7(f) (1)).
5. Stipulates that a part-time student shall not be discriminated against in the selection of Cal Grant Program award recipients, and an award to a part-time student shall be approximately proportional to the time the student spends in the instructional program, as determined by CSAC (EC Section 69433.5 (b)).
6. Prohibits receipt of a Cal Grant award in excess of the amount equivalent to the award level for four years of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program (EC Section 69433.5(d)(1)).

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

COMMENTS: Purpose. The author notes the large number of the state's public college and university students requiring five or six years to graduate, and emphasizes that this additional time increases costs to students and the state and clogs up our institutions of higher education. The author expresses the impact to students taking one additional year to graduate in terms of lost income, additional costs of attendance, and additional compounded interest on student loans. The author estimates the average net impact for one year of additional attendance at around $80,000 for a University of California (UC) student and almost $70,000 for a California State University (CSU) student. In addition to the extra costs to students, there is the extended per-student state subsidy when a UC or CSU student takes longer than four years to graduate.

The author notes that, under the current statutory definition of full-time enrollment by Cal Grant recipients, a student taking 12 units per semester would need at least 10 semesters and five years to acquire the 120 units necessary for graduation. The author believes it is important to inform students about this disconnection between what is considered "full-time" and the number of units required per semester and academic year to graduate in four years.

UC/CSU Cal Grant Recipients and Their Course Loads.

1. UC enrolled 77,000 Cal Grant recipients in 2016-17. UC reported that about 42% of these students enrolled in at least 30 units during the academic year. (Enrollment means a student had not dropped the course prior to a campus's drop/add deadline, which is typically about four weeks after instruction begins. The number of enrolled students who thus successfully completed 30 units is probably slightly less than indicated above.) Another 51% (34,500 students) would have been between one and five credits short of meeting the 30-unit requirement.
2. CSU enrolled 126,000 Cal Grant recipients in 2016-17. About 24% (31,600) of these students enrolled in 30 or more units. An additional 11,000 students took at least 15 units in either the fall or spring semester. For the Fall 2016 semester, 73,000 (60%) of the students took between 12 and 14 units.

How Many Credits Should an Undergraduate Take? In a 2014 research paper with this exact title, the authors looked at the impact of students taking 12 versus 15 units in their first semester of college on the students' ability to graduate within six years. The study was thus examining the role of "academic momentum" – the speed of progress towards a degree resulting from the rate of credit accumulation. This can occur through taking more credits per semester, but also by enrolling in summer sessions and in bridge programs prior to starting school.

The authors found that, after adjusting for differences in observable background characteristics – level of academic preparation, race/ethnicity, educational attainment of parents', and work demands – academically and socially similar students who initially attempt 15 rather than 12 credits graduate at significantly higher rates within six years of enrollment, and that those who increase their credit load from below 15 units to 15 or more units in their second semester are more likely to finish within six years than students who stay below this threshold. These findings applied to all groups and subgroups of students except those who were working more than 30 hours per week.

A Focus on Timely Completion. In recent years, the state's public higher education segments, with support from the Legislature, have placed more emphasis on improving student outcomes; from the student success initiative and guided pathways at the CCC, to the graduation initiative and California Promise Program at CSU, to the development of associate degrees for transfer between the CCC and CSU and the transformation of remedial education within both segments.

Individual campuses are also taking steps to increase students' course-taking. For example, CSU Sacramento (CSUS) has recently placed a priority on getting first-time freshman to start out on a four-year degree path. As a result of these efforts, which include deliberate messaging (as with this bill), priority registration and enhanced advisement, from Fall 2015 to Fall 2017, the number of first-time freshman enrolling in 15 or more units increased by 40%, and constituted two-thirds of the Fall 2017 freshman class at CSUS. In contrast, slightly less than half of all first-time CSU freshman took at least 15 units last fall.

In the study on course taking referenced above, the authors almost lament that, over time, taking 12 units has come to be thought of as the norm at many college campuses. Many students, especially entering freshman, may register for 12 credits because this is what they see most other students doing and no credible authority steps in to suggest this course of action will require more time in school. The authors advocate changes at the campus level similar to what is taking place at CSUS in moving toward a 15-unit norm. The multiple notifications proposed by this bill are one attempt to encourage such a cultural change at campuses statewide, and principally among those students who rely on state financial aid.

Analysis Prepared by: Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN: 0003871

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 2248

Author:

:

Vote:

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 7-0, 6/27/18

AYES: Allen, Wilk, Galgiani, Leyva, McGuire, Pan, Vidak

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 73-0, 5/17/18 (Consent) - See last page for vote

SUBJECT:

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires that a Cal Grant recipient be notified of the duration of their award and of the number of units needed to graduate within the same number of years.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Authorizes the Cal Grant program, administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), to provide grants to financially needy students to attend a college or university. The Cal Grant programs include both the entitlement and the competitive Cal Grant awards. The program consists of the Cal Grant A, Cal Grant B, and Cal Grant C programs and eligibility is based upon financial need, GPA, California residency and other criteria. (Education Code (EC) § 69430 - 69433)
2. Defines “full-time” enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a full Cal Grant award, as taking 12 or more semester units or the equivalent. (EC § 69432.7(f) (2))
3. Defines “part-time” enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a partial Cal Grant award, as taking six to 11 semester units, inclusive, or the equivalent. (EC § 69432.7(f) (1))
4. Stipulates that a part-time student shall not be discriminated against in the selection of Cal Grant Program award recipients, and an award to a part-time student shall be approximately proportional to the time the student spends in the instructional program, as determined by CSAC. (EC § 69433.5 (b))
5. Prohibits receipt of a Cal Grant award in excess of the amount equivalent to the award level for four years of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program. (EC § 69433.5 (d) (1))
6. Establishes requirements for institutional participation in the Cal Grant program by providing that:
7. A qualifying institution means an institution that meets one of the following criteria:
   • 1. Is a California private or independent postsecondary educational institution that participates in the Pell Grant Program and in at least two of the specified federal loan or work-study programs.
     2. Is a nonprofit institution headquartered and operating in California that, among other things, is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
     3. Is a California public postsecondary educational institution.
8. In addition to meeting the requirements in a), above, a qualifying institution must have a federal student loan borrower’s rate with 40 percent or less for undergraduate students, otherwise, be below the three-year cohort default rate of 15.5 percent and be above the graduation rate of 30 percent. (EC § 69432.7 (L)(1))

This bill:

1. Requires CSAC, upon initial award and renewal of a Cal Grant award, to notify an award recipient in writing of both of the following:
   1. A Cal Grant award is limited to four academic years, except as provided under current law.
   2. A student needs to take 15 units per semester or 30 semester units per academic year or the equivalent quarter units, in order to graduate within four years.
2. Requires that a Cal Grant qualifying institution notify a student during the orientation process and in writing of the information described in a) and b), above.
3. Requires, upon annual registration by a student receiving state financial aid, the aid office of a qualifying intuition to notify that student in writing of the information described in a) and b), above.
4. Specifies that during online registration by a student for fewer than 15 semester units or the equivalent quarter units, the information described in a) and b), above, must be provided to the student with a box for the student to check acknowledging receipt of the provided information.
5. Specifies that “qualifying institution,” has the same meaning as described by existing law described in 6), above.
6. Defines for purposes of the bill, “Cal Grant” to mean all Cal Grant awards except the Cal Grant C award.
7. Establishes that if the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, the state shall reimburse the applicable entities.

Comments

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, “…There is currently a disconnection between student unit enrollment and time to graduation requirements. Students are currently required to take 12 units per semester to be considered full time. However, for a student to graduate within the traditional 4 year timeframe they would need to take at least 15 units per semester, or 30 units per academic year to graduate on time. Furthermore, Cal Grant awards end after the fourth year for the vast majority of University programs and degrees. A student who takes twelve units per semester would need at least 10 semesters, or 5 years of spring and fall semesters, to acquire the necessary 120 units to graduate. Legislation is necessary to inform students about the disconnection between what is considered “full-time,” for financial aid and the number of units required per academic year and semester to graduate within 4-years.”
2. Duration of a Cal Grant award. The Cal Grant A and B program currently offers students awards to cover tuition costs for the equivalent of a four-year academic period. The amount and duration of the award is based on the student’s attendance status (full-time/part-time) and term (semester or quarter). This provides some flexibility to take more units within the parameters of their attendance status without losing additional eligibility. By contrast, other programs, such as institutional aid, base eligibility on the number of units and exceeding the allowed number of units would count against a student’s overall eligibility. Under the Cal Grant program, there are two exceptions to the four-year rule. An additional year of eligibility is offered to students enrolled in a mandatory five-year program, and to students who are enrolled in a teacher credential program.
3. Cal Grant C program has a shorter eligibility window. Students meeting the general eligibility for the Cal Grant award may be considered for the Cal Grant C. Unlike the Cal Grant B and A program, funding is available for up to two years, depending on the length of the program. To qualify, a student must enroll at least half-time in an occupational, technical, or vocational program that is at least four months long at a the California Community College (CCC), an independent college, or a vocational/career school. The Cal Grant C award is available for less than four years, for this reason the bill’s provisions only apply to Cal Grant A and B recipients.
4. Students taking 12-units unlikely to graduate in four-years. While 12 units meet the “full-time” requirement for Cal Grant eligibility, a student should complete an average of 15 units each semester in order to be on pace to graduate within four academic years (two semesters per year or equivalent quarter units). According to a 2013 report by Complete College America, The Game Changers: Are states implementing the best reforms to get more college graduates?, the University of Hawaii’s “A 15 to Finish” campaign educated students on the benefits of taking 15 units per semester and increased the number of freshmen enrolling at that level from 15 percent to 24 percent systemwide, and from 38 percent to 56 percent at its flagship campus. It appears many students forgo the additional units in order to accommodate time to work to meet the costs of their education, while some students are unaware that completing 15 units each semester is necessary to graduate within four- academic years. This bill proposes to improve completion rates by ensuring students are aware of the requisite number of units necessary to complete their degrees within four years.

Related/Prior Legislation

AB 3153 (Levine, 2018) intends to allow Cal Grant recipients to receive additional Cal Grant awards for the equivalent of two summer sessions or terms of full-time attendance. AB 3153 has been placed on Suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/2/18)

California State University

Education Trust-West

The Campaign for College Opportunity

The Institute for College Access and Success

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/2/18)

California Teachers Association

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 73-0, 5/17/18

AYES: Acosta, Aguiar-Curry, Travis Allen, Arambula, Baker, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Caballero, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chávez, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gallagher, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez Fletcher, Gray, Grayson, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O’Donnell, Patterson, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Reyes, Rodriguez, Rubio, Salas, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wood, Rendon

NO VOTE RECORDED: Cristina Garcia, Melendez, Muratsuchi, Santiago, Steinorth

Prepared by:

8/8/18 10:32:23

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Benjamin Allen, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular

Bill No: AB 2248 Hearing Date: June 27, 2018

Subject: Student financial aid: Cal Grant program.

SUMMARY

This bill requires that a Cal Grant recipient be notified of the 4-year duration of their award and of the number of units needed to graduate within the same number of years.

BACKGROUND

Existing law:

1) Authorizes the Cal Grant program, administered by the California Student Aid

Commission (Commission), to provide grants to financially needy students to attend a college or university. The Cal Grant programs include both the entitlement and the competitive Cal Grant awards. The program consists of the Cal Grant A, Cal Grant B, and Cal Grant C programs and eligibility is based upon financial need, GPA, California residency and other criteria. (Education Code (EC) § 69430 - 69433)

3) Defines "full-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a full Cal Grant award,

as taking 12 or more semester units or the equivalent. (EC § 69432.7(f) (2))

4) Defines "part-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a partial Cal Grant

award, as taking 6 to 11 semester units, inclusive, or the equivalent. (EC § 69432.7(f) (1))

5) Stipulates that a part-time student shall not be discriminated against in the

selection of Cal Grant Program award recipients, and an award to a part-time student shall be approximately proportional to the time the student spends in the instructional program, as determined by CSAC. (EC § 69433.5 (b))

6) Prohibits receipt of a Cal Grant award in excess of the amount equivalent to the

award level for four years of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program. (EC § 69433.5 (d) (1))

7) Establishes requirements for institutional participation in the Cal Grant program

by providing that:

1. A qualifying institution means an institution that meets one of the following criteria:
   1. Is a California private or independent postsecondary educational institution that participates in the Pell Grant Program and in at least two of the specified federal loan or work-study programs.
   2. Is a nonprofit institution headquartered and operating in California that, among other things, is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
   3. Is a California public postsecondary educational institution.
2. In addition to meeting the requirements in a) above, a qualifying institution is must have a federal student loan borrower’s rate with 40 percent or less for undergraduate students, otherwise, be below the three year cohort default rate of 15.5 percent and be above the graduation rate of 30 percent. (EC § 69432.7 (L)(1))

ANALYSIS

This bill:

1. Requires, upon initial award and renewal of a Cal Grant award, the California Student Aid Commission to notify an award recipient in writing of both of the following:
   1. A Cal Grant award is limited to four years, except as provided under

current law.

• 1. A student needs to take 15 units per semester or 30 semester units per

academic year or the equivalent quarter units, in order to graduate within four years.

1. Requires that a Cal Grant qualifying institution notify a student during the orientation process and in writing of the information described in a) and b) above.
2. Requires, upon annual registration by a student receiving state financial aid, the aid office of a qualifying intuition to notify that student in writing of the information described in a) and b).
3. Specifies that during online registration by a student for fewer than 15 semester units or the equivalent quarter units, the information described in a) and b) above must be provided to the student with a box for the student to check acknowledging receipt of the provided information.
4. Specifies that “qualifying institution,” has the same meaning as described by current law described in 7) in the background section of this analysis.
5. Defines for purposes of the bill, “Cal Grant” to mean all Cal Grant awards except the Cal Grant C award.
6. Establishes if the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, the state shall reimburse the applicable entities.

STAFF COMMENTS

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, “…There is currently a disconnection between student unit enrollment and time to graduation requirements. Students are currently required to take 12 units per semester to be considered full time. However, for a student to graduate within the traditional 4 year timeframe they would need to take at least 15 units per semester, or 30 units per academic year to graduate on time. Furthermore, Cal Grant awards end after the fourth year for the vast majority of University programs and degrees. A student who takes twelve units per semester would need at least 10 semesters, or 5 years of spring and fall semesters, to acquire the necessary 120 units to graduate. Legislation is necessary to inform students about the disconnection between what is considered “full-time,” for financial aid and the number of units required per academic year and semester to graduate within 4-years.”
2. Duration of a Cal Grant award. The Cal Grant A and B program currently offers students awards to cover tuition costs for the equivalent of a 4-year academic period. The amount and duration of the award is based on the student’s attendance status (full-time/part-time) and term (semester or quarter). This provides some flexibility to take more units within the parameters of their attendance status without losing additional eligibility. By contrast, other programs, such as institutional aid, base eligibility on the number of units and exceeding the allowed number of units would count against a student’s overall eligibility. Under the Cal Grant program there are two exceptions to the 4-year rule. An additional year of eligibility is offered to students enrolled in a mandatory 5-year program, and to students who are enrolled in a teacher credential program.

This bill requires, California Student Aid Commission, in its notification to Cal Grant recipients, to specify that the Cal Grant award is limited to “four years.” Staff recommends an amendment to clarify that Cal Grant award eligibility is limited to “four academic years,” rather than “four years”.

1. Cal Grant C program has a shorter eligibility window. Students meeting the general eligibility for the Cal Grant award may be considered for the Cal Grant C. Unlike the Cal Grant B and A program, funding is available for up to two years, depending on the length of the program. To qualify, a student must enroll at least half-time in an occupational, technical, or vocational program that is at least four months long at a the California Community College (CCC), an independent college, or a vocational/career school. The Cal Grant C award is available for less than 4 years, for this reason the bill’s provisions only apply to Cal Grant A and B recipients.
2. Students taking 12-units unlikely to graduate in four-years. While 12 units meet the “full-time” requirement for Cal Grant eligibility, a student should complete an average of 15 units each semester in order to be on pace to graduate within four academic years (2 semesters per year or equivalent quarter units). According to a 2013 report by Complete College America, The Game Changers: Are states implementing the best reforms to get more college graduates?, the University of Hawaii’s “A 15 to Finish” campaign educated students on the benefits of taking 15 units per semester and increased the number of freshmen enrolling at that level from 15 percent to 24 percent systemwide, and from 38 percent to 56 percent at its flagship campus. It appears many students forgo the additional units in order to accommodate time to work to meet the costs of their education, while some students are unaware that completing 15 units each semester is necessary to graduate within four- academic years. This bill proposes to improve completion rates by ensuring students are aware of the requisite number of units necessary to complete their degrees within four years.
3. Related legislation. AB 3153 (Levine), pending in this committee, intends to allow Cal Grant recipients to receive additional Cal Grant awards for the equivalent of two summer sessions or terms of full-time attendance.

SUPPORT

California State University

Education Trust-West

The Campaign for College Opportunity

The Institute for College Access and Success

OPPOSITION

California Teachers Association

-- END --

Date of Hearing: May 9, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2248

Author:(McCarty) – As Amended Ver:April 26, 2018

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes

SUMMARY: This bill requires the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), postsecondary educational institutions participating in the Cal Grant program, and financial aid offices at those institutions to notify students in writing regarding the four-year time limit for Cal Grants and the need to take 30 units per year in order to graduate in four years.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. Minor and absorbable ongoing GF costs to CSAC to notify students in writing of Cal Grant time limits and unit requirements for graduation.
2. Minor and absorbable ongoing GF cost pressures to University of California and California State University and their campus-based financial aid offices to notify students in writing of Cal Grant time limits and unit requirements for graduation.
3. Minor and absorbable Proposition 98 GF costs to the California Community Colleges and their campus-based financial aid offices to notify students in writing of Cal Grant time limits and unit requirements for graduation. The state would need to reimburse these costs to CCC, if the Commission on State Mandates determines the bill’s requirements to be a reimbursable state mandate.
4. Minor and absorbable costs to private institutions and their campus-based financial aid offices to notify students in writing of Cal Grant time limits and unit requirements for graduation. The state does not provide funding to private institutions for these purposes.

COMMENTS:

1. Cal Grants. The CSAC administers the Cal Grant program, the state’s largest need-based financial aid program. Cal Grants awards over $2 billion General Fund annually to undergraduate students who meet certain income and eligibility criteria at CCC, California State University, University of California, and some private institutions. Students may receive Cal Grants for up to four years of full-time college attendance if they continue to meet income and other requirements. Cal Grants awards may provide aid for both tuition and nontuition expenses.
2. Full-Time Enrollment Definition. Current law defines "full-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a full Cal Grant award or a federal Pell Grant, as taking 12 or more semester units or the equivalent. However, to complete an undergraduate degree in four years, a student must take 15 semester units or the equivalent.
3. Purpose. The author notes the large number of the state's public college and university students requiring five or six years to graduate and the resulting costs of additional time to students and the state. The author believes it is important to inform students about the disconnect between what is considered "full-time" and the number of units required per semester and academic year to graduate in four years.

Analysis Prepared by: Natasha Collins / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: April 24, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Jose Medina, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2248 (

Author:McCarty) – As Amended Ver:April 16, 2018

SUBJECT: Student financial aid: Cal Grant program

SUMMARY: As proposed to be amended, requires the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and postsecondary educational institutions to notify students regarding the four-year time limit for Cal Grants and the need to take 30 units per year in order to graduate in four years. Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires CSAC, when making an initial and subsequent renewals of Cal Grant awards, to notify the recipient in writing of both of the following:
   1. That the Cal Grant award is limited to four years, except for five-year programs as prescribed by an educational institution; and,
   2. That the student needs to take 15 units per semester, or the equivalent quarter units, or 30 semester units, or the equivalent quarter units, per academic year in order to graduate in four years.
2. Requires postsecondary institutions participating in the Cal Grant program to notify every new student in writing of the information in (1) (a) and (b) during the new student's orientation.
3. Requires the financial aid office of an institution participating in the Cal Grant program, upon a financial aid recipient's annual registration with that office, to notify that student in writing of the information in (1) (a) and (b).

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) for the purpose of administering specified student financial aid programs. (Education Code (EC) Section 69510, et seq.)
2. Establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Programs, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Program, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Programs, the Cal Grant C Program, and the Cal Grant T Program, each with specified eligibility requirements related to the applicant's age, academic achievement, family income, maximum award amount limits, length of award eligibility, and other factors. (EC Sect. 69430, et seq.)
3. Defines "full-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a full Cal Grant award, as taking 12 or more semester units or the equivalent. (EC Sect. 69432.7(f) (2))
4. Prohibits receipt of a Cal Grant award in excess of the amount equivalent to the award level for four years of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program. (EC Sect. 69433.5 (d) (1))

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown

COMMENTS: Purpose. The author notes the large number of the state's public college and university students requiring five or six years to graduate, and emphasizes that this additional time increases costs to students and the state and clogs up our institutions of higher education. The author expresses the impact to students taking one additional year to graduate in terms of lost income, additional costs of attendance, and additional compounded interest on student loans. The author estimates the average net impact for one year of additional attendance at around $80,000 for a University of California (UC) student and almost $70,000 for a California State University (CSU) student. In addition to the extra costs to students, there is the extended per-student state subsidy when a UC or CSU student takes longer than four years to graduate.

The author notes that, under the current statutory definition of full-time enrollment by Cal Grant recipients, a student taking 12 units per semester would need at least 10 semesters and five years to acquire the 120 units necessary for graduation. The author believes it is important to inform students about this disconnection between what is considered "full-time" and the number of units required per semester and academic year to graduate in four years.

AB 2248 requires CSAC to notify students when they are awarded a Cal Grant, and upon the annual renewal of their Cal Grant, that their Cal Grant eligibility will run out after four years and that they need to take 15 units per semester, or 30 units per academic year, if they want to graduate in four years. The bill also requires these same notifications by campuses during student orientation and when students register with the campus financial aid office.

UC/CSU Cal Grant Recipients and Their Course Loads.

1. UC enrolled 77,000 Cal Grant recipients in 2016-17. UC reported that about 42% of these students enrolled in at least 30 units during the academic year. (Enrollment means a student had not dropped the course prior to a campus's drop/add deadline, which is typically about four weeks after instruction begins. The number of enrolled students who thus successfully completed 30 units is probably slightly less than indicated above.) Another 51% (34,500 students) would have been between one and five credits short of meeting the 30-unit requirement.
2. CSU enrolled 126,000 Cal Grant recipients in 2016-17. About 24% (31,600) of these students enrolled in 30 or more units. An additional 11,000 students took at least 15 units in either the fall or spring semester. For the Fall 2016 semester, 73,000 (60%) of the students took between 12 and 14 units.

How Many Credits Should an Undergraduate Take? In a 2014 research paper with this exact title, the authors looked at the impact of students taking 12 versus 15 units in their first semester of college on the students' ability to graduate within six years. The study was thus examining the role of "academic momentum" – the speed of progress towards a degree resulting from the rate of credit accumulation. This can occur through taking more credits per semester, but also by enrolling in summer sessions and in bridge programs prior to starting school.

The authors found that, after adjusting for differences in observable background characteristics – level of academic preparation, race/ethnicity, educational attainment of parents', and work demands – academically and socially similar students who initially attempt 15 rather than 12 credits graduate at significantly higher rates within six years of enrollment, and that those who increase their credit load from below 15 units to 15 or more units in their second semester are more likely to finish within six years than students who stay below this threshold. These findings applied to all groups and subgroups of students except those who were working more than 30 hours per week.

A Focus on Timely Completion. In recent years, the state's public higher education segments, with support from the Legislature, have placed more emphasis on improving student outcomes; from the student success initiative and guided pathways at the CCC, to the graduation initiative and California Promise Program at CSU, to the development of associate degrees for transfer between the CCC and CSU and the transformation of remedial education within both segments.

Individual campuses are also taking steps to increase students' course-taking. For example, CSU Sacramento (CSUS) has recently placed a priority on getting first-time freshman to start out on a four-year degree path. As a result of these efforts, which include deliberate messaging (as with this bill), priority registration and enhanced advisement, from Fall 2015 to Fall 2017, the number of first-time freshman enrolling in 15 or more units increased by 40%, and constituted two-thirds of the Fall 2017 freshman class at CSUS. In contrast, slightly less than half of all first-time CSU freshman took at least 15 units last fall.

In the study on course taking referenced above, the authors almost lament that, over time, taking 12 units has come to be thought of as the norm at many college campuses. Many students, especially entering freshman, may register for 12 credits because this is what they see most other students doing and no credible authority steps in to suggest this course of action will require more time in school. The authors advocate changes at the campus level similar to what is taking place at CSUS in moving toward a 15-unit norm. The multiple notifications proposed by AB 2248 are one attempt to encourage such a cultural change at campuses statewide, and principally among those students who rely on state financial aid.

Amendments. The amendments are simply clarifying in nature, and are reflected in the Summary of this analysis.

Related Legislation Somewhat in Conflict. Three pending measures have provisions that, if enacted, would conflict with at least part of the notifications required by AB 2248. The author may need to eventually amend this bill for consistency with any or all of these measures.

AB 2306 (Santiago), pending on the Assembly Appropriations Suspense file, provides a community college transfer student with a total of six years, instead of four years, of Cal Grant eligibility.

AB 3153 (Levine), also on today's committee agenda, allows Cal Grant recipients to receive an additional Summer Cal Grant award (beyond the four-year limit) for two summer terms of up to nine units for the purpose of timely completion of a baccalaureate degree.

SB 940 (Beall), pending on the Senate Appropriations Suspense file, in part increases, from four years of enrollment to eight years, the amount of time that students who are current or former foster youth can receive a Cal Grant B Entitlement award.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

None on file.

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Chuck Nicol / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960

Date of Hearing: April 3, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Jose Medina, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2248 (

Author:McCarty) – As Amended Ver:March 23, 2018

SUBJECT: Student financial aid: Cal Grant program

SUMMARY: Requires a student receiving Cal Grants to take at least 30 units per academic year in order to be considered a "full-time" student for purposes of receiving a full, rather than partial, Cal Grant for that year. Specifically, this bill:

1. Changes—for new Cal Grant awards, commencing with the 2019-20 academic year and subsequent renewals of such awards—the number of units constituting full-time enrollment, and thus eligibility for a full Cal Grant award, from 12 units per semester to 30 units per academic year, or the term equivalent.
2. Stipulates that, for enrollment less than that specified in (1), a student's Cal Grant award would be prorated based on the number of units taken, while still requiring a minimum of six units per semester, or the quarter equivalent, for Cal Grant eligibility.
3. Exempts from the above eligibility changes students attending the California Community Colleges.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) for the purpose of administering specified student financial aid programs. (Education Code (EC) Section 69510, et seq.)
2. Establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Programs, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Program, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Programs, the Cal Grant C Program, and the Cal Grant T Program, each with specified eligibility requirements related to the applicant's age, academic achievement, family income, maximum award amount limits, length of award eligibility, and other factors. (EC Sect. 69430, et seq.)
3. Defines "full-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a full Cal Grant award, as taking 12 or more semester units or the equivalent. (EC Sect. 69432.7(f) (2))
4. Defines "part-time" enrollment, for purposes of eligibility for a partial Cal Grant award, as taking 6 to 11 semester units, inclusive, or the equivalent. (EC Sect. 69432.7(f) ((1))
5. Stipulates that a part-time student shall not be discriminated against in the selection of Cal Grant Program award recipients, and an award to a part-time student shall be approximately proportional to the time the student spends in the instructional program, as determined by CSAC. (EC Sect. 69433.5 (b))
6. Prohibits receipt of a Cal Grant award in excess of the amount equivalent to the award level for four years of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program. (EC Sect. 69433.5 (d) (1))

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown

COMMENTS: Purpose. The author notes the large number of the state's public college and university students requiring five or six years to graduate, and emphasizes that this additional time increases costs to students and the state and clogs up our institutions of higher education. The author expresses the impact to students taking one additional year to graduate in terms of lost income, additional costs of attendance, and additional compounded interest on student loans. The author estimates the average net impact for one extra year additional attendance at around $80,000 for a University of California (UC) student and almost $70,000 for a California State University (CSU) student. In addition to the extra costs to students, there is the extended per-student state subsidy when a UC or CSU student takes longer than four years to graduate.

The author notes that, under the current statutory definition of full-time enrollment by Cal Grant recipients, a student taking 12 units per semester would need at least 10 semesters and five years to acquire the 120 units necessary for graduation. The author argues that redefining full-time enrollment, for purposes of Cal Grant eligibility, to mean 30 or more semester units per academic year will encourage students to plan for, and take the necessary classes to, acquire 120 units within four years.

The recent amendments define “part time” as over 6 semester units and under 30 semester units per academic year. Students who take classes “part time” would have their Cal Grant prorated according to their unit load. The author notes, however, that such students who take less than a full-time course load during the regular academic year would have an opportunity to take the additional units needed for full-time status during the summer or winter session. For example, if a student were to take 12 units during each of the fall and spring semesters, they would receive 80% of the full Cal Grant award over that period. (At CSU for example, these students would receive a Cal Grant award totaling $4,594 instead of $5,742 for this period– a reduction of $1,148.) If they took an additional 6 units during the summer session, they would then receive the remaining 20% ($1,148) of their Cal Grant award. The author believes that making this funding available for the summer will give students an additional incentive and opportunity to continue taking the classes they need to graduate on time.

Alternatively, if a student elected to take just 12 units in the fall and spring semesters, and chose not to enroll in summer sessions, he or she would receive 80% of the full Cal Grant award for that academic year. After four years of this course-taking pattern, the student will have received 80% of his or her total eligible Cal Grant award and would have earned 80% of the credits (96 of 120) required to graduate. The students would thus still have 20% of his or her total Cal Grant eligibility remaining to apply toward their fifth year of enrollment.

Finally, the author proposes to phase in the new enrollment requirement over a four-year period, and not to apply the requirement to existing Cal Grant recipients. The first group of students to be impacted would be those receiving their initial Cal Grant award in 2019-20, and subsequent renewals of those awards. Each successive cohort of new award recipients would thereafter be subject to the 30 unit per-year requirement for full-time enrollment.

UC/CSU Cal Grant Recipients and Their Course Loads.

1. UC enrolled 77,000 Cal Grant recipients in 2016-17. UC reported that about 42% of these students enrolled in at least 30 units during the academic year, and thus would have met the full-time enrollment requirement of this bill and received their full Cal Grant award for that year. (Enrollment means a student had not dropped the course prior to a campus's drop/add deadline, which is typically about four weeks after instruction begins. The number of enrolled students who thus successfully completed 30 units is probably slightly less than indicated above.) Another 51% (34,500 students) would have been between one and five credits short of meeting the 30-unit requirement. Only about 4,500 (7%) were six or more credits short of the AB 2248 requirement.
2. CSU enrolled 126,000 Cal Grant recipients in 2016-17. About 24% (31,600) of these students enrolled in 30 or more units. An additional 11,000 students took at least 15 units in either the fall or spring semester. For the Fall 2016 semester, 73,000 (60%) of the students took between 12 and 14 units. Therefore, only about 6,700 (5%) enrolled in less than 12 units and would have been considered part-time under current Cal Grant statutes. It should be noted that, for Fall 2017, Cal Grant recipients at CSU took 15 or more units at essentially the same rate as all other undergraduates (34.7% vs. 36%)

How Many Credits Should an Undergraduate Take? In a 2014 research paper with this exact title, the authors looked at the impact of students taking 12 versus 15 units in their first semester of college on the students' ability to graduate within six years. The study was thus examining the role of "academic momentum" – the speed of progress towards a degree resulting from the rate of credit accumulation. This can occur through taking more credits per semester, but also by enrolling in summer sessions and in bridge programs prior to starting school.

The authors found that, after adjusting for differences in observable background characteristics – level of academic preparation, race/ethnicity, educational attainment of parents', and work demands – academically and socially similar students who initially attempt 15 rather than 12 credits graduate at significantly higher rates within six years of enrollment, and that those who increase their credit load from below 15 units to 15 or more units in their second semester are more likely to finish within six years than students who stay below this threshold. These finding applied to all groups and subgroups of students except those who were working more than 30 hours per week.

Even with these results, however, the authors of this study did not endorse a proposal, similar to this bill, to require taking 15 units per semester in order to obtain one's full federal Pell Grant award. The authors considered such an approach to be "a punitive and unsubtle policy shift, one which entirely foregoes carrots in favor of the stick." The authors felt that, with such a shift, there would be students who would not benefit and might instead be harmed if effectively penalized for taking only 12 units. The authors instead argued for strategies that paired positive incentives in financial aid with aggressive attempts by campuses to move to a 15-unit norm.

Opposition. The cautions and remedies expressed above are similar to the variety of objections expressed by opponents, who specifically note, in part, that:

1. Work and family commitments might make it impossible for some Cal Grant recipients to take more classes.
2. At some campuses, particularly of the CSU, students already have a challenge of getting the courses they need to progress toward their degree. Requiring more course-taking as a condition of receiving full Cal Grant aid could exacerbate this situation, or lead some students to take courses not applicable to their degree requirement in order get to 15 units, yet be no closer to graduation.
3. For Cal Grant recipients unable to meet the 15-unit requirement, this bill could result in them having to work more hours or take on additional debt in order to compensate for the Cal Grant reduction. Such outcomes are more likely for underrepresented students, who, at least at CSU, are currently less likely than white students to enroll in 15 units. Moreover, students in general are already experiencing significant cost pressures due to the state's housing shortage and run-up in rental costs, with a resulting increase in student homelessness. These cost pressures tend to bear most greatly on the poorest students.
4. This change will create a misalignment with Pell Grant requirements for full-time enrollment, and for Cal Grant requirements for full-time community colleges, thus creating even more confusion for students already faced with the maze of financial aid programs having different rules and requirements.
5. Grant aid also comes with requirements for satisfactory academic progress. A 2015 study showed that students on the margins of meeting these requirements, and thus in jeopardy of losing their aid, are less likely to take additional units, in order to preserve their aid and improve their academic standing.

Comment. It could generally be agreed that completing college sooner rather than later is a beneficial outcome for students, their families, and the state. This bill seeks to incentivize certain students to reach that goal in four years. While the rewards to such an outcome are obvious, the path to getting there, for many of these students, is fraught with obstacles that may be exacerbated by the enrollment requirements of this bill, which could even hinder rather than help some students' chances of ultimate success.

In recent years, the state's public higher education segments, with support from the Legislature, have placed more emphasis on improving student outcomes; from the student success initiative and guided pathways at the CCC, to the graduation initiative and California Promise Program at CSU, to the development of associate degrees for transfer between the CCC and CSU and the transformation of remedial education within both segments.

Individual campuses are also taking steps to increase students' course-taking. For example, CSU Sacramento (CSUS) has recently placed a priority on getting first-time freshman to start out on a four-year degree path. As a result of these efforts, which include deliberate messaging, priority registration and enhanced advisement, from Fall 2015 to Fall 2017, the number of first-time freshman enrolling in 15 or more units increased by 40%, and constituted two-thirds of the Fall 2017 freshman class at CSUS. In contrast, slightly less than half of all first-time CSU freshman took at least 15 units last fall.

In the study on course taking referenced above, the authors almost lament that, over time, taking 12 units has come to be thought of as the norm at many college campuses. Many students, especially entering freshman, may register for 12 credits because this is what they see most other students doing and no credible authority steps in to suggest this course of action will require more time in school. The authors advocate changes at the campus level similar to what is taking place at CSUS. As such an approach could eventually extend to all students, it seems preferable to redefining full-time enrollment only for a subset of students (Cal Grant recipients), some of whom, due to their circumstances, might disproportionately suffer as a consequence.

Related Legislation. AB 2306 (Santiago), also on today's committee agenda, provides a community college transfer student with a total of six years, instead of four years, of Cal Grant eligibility.

AB 3153 (Levine), pending in this committee, intends to allow Cal Grant recipients to receive additional Cal Grant awards for the equivalent of two summer sessions or terms of full-time attendance.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

None on file.

Opposition

California State Student Association

California State University

The Education Trust-West

The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS)

University of California

Analysis Prepared by: Chuck Nicol / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960